It's been a long two days. We left yesterday afternoon from Lima, but the 22 hour bus ride to Cusco was cut short after our bus caught fire! As the bags were frantically thrown out, we found out that ours were in Tacna, at the Chilean frontier. It could have been a lot worse but our bags should be with us later tonight, just in time for the Inca Trail tomorrow. (I am travelling with Chantal right now, who I met in Loki, hence the 'we')

Despite the crazy journey, we were able to split a taxi with two other backpackers and get to our hostel in Cusco for a much needed shower. The cobbled alleys of Cusco are infinitely nicer than the crowded streets of Lima. The history is clearly visible in the architecture, fortified walls guard key entry points surrounding the Plaza de Armas at the centre of the city.

Tourism is clearly the main source of income over here, there are so many. As we walked around the main square we were offered several tours to Machu Picchu as well as several street sellers offering paintings, alpaca products or even finger puppets! My personal favourite though were the women offering massages (no it's not like that, a standard, innocent massage) - but the way they said 'massage senor' would always make me laugh.

Although Cusco has it's fair share of older camera toting tourists, the backpacker scene is alive. The party started in the bar and after a few drinks a large group of us headed to club Mythology. It must have been a great night as I returned at 5 in the morning.